December 2015 Frugal Chatter thread - all welcome!!!

[Ciel]

IMWK: For people that don't want anything, but might be rude if you give nothing, what do you give?

For DH's parents, they're diabetics, so we've bought plants, diabetic cookbooks, lotions (for mom), gift cards, made up gift baskets with specialty food items, and aside from the WM GC, I don't think they've used any of it.

One year, we gave them a common tub of Folgers and an M&Ms GC, and that seemed to be the biggest hit with Mom.

My parents send over a bottle of wine. Apart from that, I'm out of ideas!

Magazines that may interest them or have an interesting topic are my fallback gift idea and maybe a tea or cookie package too.

[Frugalbigmama]

My RCSS has the Blue Menu Omega 12 pk eggs on clearance for $2. Expiry dates on the ones I grabbed mid January. They had them on sale a few weeks ago and I think they have to much stock so yeah us! Pm'd the baking soda on at GT. And a cantaloupe and 4 pk peppers. Not much else grabbed me.

[jasperandchar]

In the last 3 years since dh's wages went down by 3/4's of what he used to get - our shopping habits (things we buy etc) have changed 110%. We had no choice. We penny pinch where we can.

I no longer stockpile per say, I use dish soap so I now have 4 bottles and that will last quite a while. TP and laundry soap are all about we stock up while on sale. Otherwise I just replace when an item is finished.

I will buy lunch snacks if on sale for very reasonable prices like Independent grocers has 2/$3 Quaker granola bars so 10 granola bars for $3.00 = .30 EACH that's do-able especially with the baking with nuts, butter etc adds up quickly.

Well caught a ride with the inlaws this am for groceries to GT and FreshCo. I purchased 9 whole chickens at $2 lbs pretty decent price these days and they had chicken drumsticks with peelies $1.00 off so 10 chicken drumsticks for $4 is a cheap meal.

I cooked 1 whole chicken for supper, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy and used up a box of stuffing.

So I finally got my Equifax report my score is 788 out of 900, reason being is that I had 3 hard pulls from PC financial in the last 6 months AND ironically they are the reason why I don`t have a perfect score....go figure....I had applied for a $5k loc but was declined.

Anyways so I am thankful there is no funny business on my file. I still have not received anything from TransUnion, I will follow up next week.

Plans for tomorrow are get dh to clean up his mess (a girl can dream) and decorate the house.

Our golden retriever Chester is a paper shredder so I am nervous to put the gifts under the tree as last year he unwrapped some (I am being kind with the term unwrapped). So it will take some mindfulness on everyones part to remember to not leave him alone in the living room for any reason.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

[coupon girl]

-well got my 50 year old tree up (its not decorated yet -didn't have the mood for it -(I am giving myself 2 days to get it decorated as I babysit next week)-lol my grown kids keep asking am I going to buy a new one -nope decided not to -its a cute easy tree 4 and a half feet tall too

-cooked lovely chicken breasts ,mashed potatoes and peas tonight -oh and gravy also
-now I am having my cup of tea

[Crochetlady]

They love to eat out, but they're in a small town and their favourite restaurants are local. I don't think they have gift cards.

When my brother and sil had a restaurant they didn`t have gift cards either. A customer went in and prepaid a meal for her daughter`s family.

[Ciel]

Am curious to ask when did McDonald's raise their chicken snack wraps up to $2.19? I was used to the $1.99 price but the menu board showed $2.19. Did the prices change during or after the Monopoly promotion?

Glad to have gone to Metro and get a 99-cent Clif bar (white chocolate macadamia nut) to tide me over until I reached McDonald's.

Last night, I cut out my shirt pieces. Expect to get sewing tomorrow and by Monday be making buttonholes and sewing on buttons.
@jasperandchar -would posting 8-1/2 by 11 pages by doorways leading to the main room work to keep others alert to Chester's whereabouts? If they are keen to have their gifts, they have to take as much interest in the dog as you do. You already do so much. It's like a constant game of Tip the Waiter. As your arm is still healing, you can make what you can for supper-agree with the simple recipes so as not to strain your arm. If another family member wants to make pizza or tacos or pasta supper, let them take on the task. Maybe your baker could be convinced to make muffins or squares as well.

[jasperandchar]

@Ciel you are such a sweetheart, good luck with making your shirts I'm sure they will turn out fantastic and a custom fit which you can't get in stores

[jasperandchar]

@sweet sparrow In small towns where gc's may not be available they do still have the old school gift certificates the paper copies atleast in some of the restaurants in a nearby town still does this as they don't want to go to the electronic gcs, give them a call you may very well be surprised. Good luck in your shopping for the inlaws.

[walkonby]

today I was sort of frugal, sort of not. We have made up our Xmas menu and there are still a couple items needed that are dodging us ( no sales yet! ) I discovered WM no longer carries the fresh large split turkey breasts anymore ( and theirs were always on mark down @ $7.00 and I'd snag the biggest one, approx 1 kg ) BUT that was then.

Went to see what they looked like at Sobey's today ( on sale per lb ) but their truck never came in......was still able to do 2 other separate transactions for items we needed and to use my BAM coupons of 15 AM wys $20.00 and 15 AM wys $40.00 Was able to pay for both orders with the previously bought GC's.

Heading back I stopped at FreshCo to get the dogs two Caesar's soft doggy treats @ $2.49 ea ( had 2 x$2.00 off coupons! ) and found a fresh turkey breast on mark down! ( $7.00, smaller one about 800 grams ). Some other items as well and used that GC to pay ( Sobey's are honoured at FreshCo)

Then off to Metro to redeem 95 AM get 25 BAM back. Did 3 transactions. The meat guy was so awesome! They were JUST wrapping the turkey breasts up to be put out and he went and grabbed me the biggest one he could find.
Sticker shock it was $13.00 but was 1.2 kg and I'd be getting it for just $3.00 OOP after redeem so....o.k.

Second transaction came to $10.00 dead on, so zero OOP....10 cans Unico no salt diced tomatoes @ .88 ea, pkg reduced rack tomatoes $1.20.
Last redeem was pkg 4 froz gf salmon burgers, ( $3.99 ) reduced rack pears, more tomatoes and jars of Unico olives on sale. OOP. on that .49
Metro guy did confirm that there WILL be Prime Rib roasts going on sale closer to Xmas so I'll just have to wait to get that.

[Ciel]

I'd like to get Unico olives on sale if they are the jarred green stuffed ones. I've been making do with the canned black ones but am not as big a fan of them nor the pitting (at least I have the cherry pitter). Great redemptions, @walkonby !

[walkonby]

^^ those canned black ones I found were sort of tasteless?? But we ate them up anyway!

[jasperandchar]

@walkonby very frugal shopping, great job....you win some you lose some BUT you did awesome


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Quiet day on here, we or should I say me primarily decorated the Christmas tree, the dinning room light fixture, the mantle, and the 2 smaller trees beside the mantle are done.

I still need to do the arm that separates the living room / dinning room, I will do that tomorrow when I have more energy.

I'm treating us to Pizza tonight the last of last years birthday $. I still have this years birthday cash so I foresee many more treats over the next year.

Wishing everyone a great evening.

[Natalka]

Popping in with a hi, nothing much at all going on here...

[coupon girl]

finished my tree today all decorated then hubby and I just got back from five guys treated ourselves too
-oh and urban barn had ornaments buy 1 get 1 free bought 4 owl,reindeer and 2 lovely glass balls with silver running thru them-cost 16.00 for the 4 maybe not frugal(plus they are all glass -I hate the artificial plastic that looks like glass) but was tired of all my old ornaments -even got rid of 3
-going to visit my sister-in-law tonight hopefully my neice will be able to chat with us -but she maybe sleeping as she works a lot of hours at mcdonalds

[Crochetlady]

This day has gone down as THE WORST birthday ever. Have been sick most of the week but I could handle that. We heard the fire trucks go out just before lunch. About an hour later a friend came to the door to tell us that her BIL...our next door neighbour had been at their house and had 3 heart attacks on the way home. Someone found him and called 911. He was transferred from Listowel to Guelph...they didn`t think he would make it there. We got a call at 6:00 from the family...he died just before 5:00 this afternoon. We are still in shock. He has been my neighbour for 36 years and took me to appointments that I couldn`t drive to. He will be missed by a lot of people.